Original subtitles

- Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, he's coming back home.

Alright, thank you.

Okay, I'll talk with you soon, thank you, yes!

He's coming back, he's coming back!

- Congratulations! - Yes!

- You finally get to have your homecoming for Jesus.

- Say what?

- You should call it, Christ-chella, mm-hm.

- Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

No, no, baby, don't play with that name now,

no, not that one. - Ella!

- Oh! - I need to talk to you.

- Curtis, I got something to tell you! [laughing]

- Spoiler alert,

Beyoncé 'bout to get a Netflix special with Jesus.

He coming back home.

- When their baby born,

send it down the river in a basket.

- Curtis! Don't do that, listen. [giggling]

Curtis, my favorite guest speaker is coming back

to the Women's Day program.

- Baby, I just had the worst barbecue experience of my life.

- Uh, okay, Curtis, you didn't let me finish.

- I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry. - [giggling]

- Gon' finish. - I am in charge of the program.

- It was the worst! It was horrible, Ella.

They act like they were doing me a favor

by taking my money.

- If you're starting a barbecue spot,

why you eating at another one?

- Because you can't win a war without spies or intelligence.

- Baby, why are you so upset?

- They were rude, they were slow.

I can't believe they charge money.

- Where'd you go?

- Gladys and Roscoe's Smokehouse and Laundromat.

- Mm.

- Uh, the church goes there a lot.

- Mm-hm, and that's my spot.

They got them deep-fried lemon pepper crab legs.

- CURTIS: I had those,

and the chicken, and the broccoli casserole,

and the spinach souffle.

- Where did you eat all this food?

- In the driveway.

- Why do you keep doing that? - 'Cuz it's so peaceful, Ella.

It's so quiet,

and I don't have to share it with any crumb snatchers.

Or any soon-to-be crumb snatchers.

- How long you been doing that? - Since my '76 Monte Carlo.

- [laughing] And we didn't even have kids then.

- Those were the days.

- ♪

♪♪

- "Dear Sir or Madame,

your restaurant"-- correction--"sucks!"

- What's up, Unc?

- Eh, is donkey teeth one word or two?

- [laughing]

Who are you beauty shaming now?

- An ugly business that deserve it.

Now, just answer the question, MBA student.

- Former MBA student, I switched to Philosophy.

- Oh.

- Apparently, he's moved in with Calvin,

and doesn't want a career.

- What, you don't?

We had a cousin, Sugar-Mane Xavier,

brilliant philosopher. Brilliant!

- You hear that, Dad?

- What is he doing now?

- Ten to fifteen.

- You hear that?

You too can sit around barbershops talking noise

and doing nothing with your life.

- You know, Samuel L. Jackson ain't half the gangster

that Iceberg Slim was. - Very true.

- What you gon' do besides teach?

- Now, come on, Dad,

philosophers, they shape the world.

They influence political campaigns,

and they change minds.

- And they wait tables 'cuz they don't make no money.

- Well, what if I don't wanna make a bunch of money?

Okay, even I don't believe that, but...

look, I'm just searching for a little bit more,

and I haven't found it yet. - We've all been there.

- Not me. I always knew what I wanted,

when I was gon' get it, and how I was gon' get it.

- Sure, I mean, you were just sent here to Earth

to run into burning buildings and save babies,

and be a first responder to things that you can't unsee.

Because you're a buffer for all the other people's pain.

You didn't know what you wanted to do.

You were destined to be the bearer of other people's pain...

philosophically speaking.

- The boy good.

- Hey, he gon' be a philosopher, my son.

Look at ya! - CURTIS: That's good.

- The town car has been ordered for the VIP.

- Okay. - And I have two, three--

I just have to verify the catering.

- What about the entertainment?

You know that's my area of expertise.

- Baby, they can't handle your kind of entertainment.

- I don't know what you expect to get out of all this,

free food?

- I expect them to fix the problem.

That place is a disgrace to the barbecue landscape.

A dis--damn--grace.

- Curtis! Just let it go, let it go.

- Why, Ella, huh?

Why can't I demand customer satisfaction

when I'm spending my hard-earned senior citizen discount?

- But we gotta help our people out.

If we don't support them, who will?

- The people who got ones left over after the club, duh.

- It kinda make sense.

- Curtis!

Listen--[chuckling]-- as long as it's done with love,

I don't have a problem

with us holding our black businesses accountable.

- Thank you.

Now, I say hold 'em to a higher standard

'cuz God know, we got to be better

just to be considered average.

- Okay, let's say a big box store is having a sale,

and a black-owned business is selling the same product,

but at a higher price. - Okay.

- Where you gon' spend your money?

- What the hell is the product? - It don't matter.

- Yes, it does.

You can't buy eyelashes from everywhere,

you'll be walking around

with big ol' caterpillars on your eyelids.

- Okay, Calvin,

if the black business has great customer service,

I would buy it from them.

- But if there's a sign on the register

that says "Cash Only," and cash is spelled with a K...

and the cashier at the register

is holding a baby on her hip--

- You talking about Daysia?

- I don't know what the hell her name is.

- The manager, that's my home girl,

we went to community college together.

- Well, I'm not giving Gladys, Daysia, or Roscoe

anymore of my money.

- Well, why not just talk to the manager,

give him some feedback to help them do better?

- Yes. - There you go.

- Calvin, while she was ringing me up,

she started nursing the baby.

- That baby is three, that is no excuse.

- Three? - Three.

- Okay, Curtis,

I think if you just take the time to explain your issue

with the business, it can help out everybody.

- Thank you, son. And that's exactly what I did.

I wrote a review, and I put it everywhere.

- ♪

- "The employees and management should be barbecued

instead of serving barbecue. This establishment is"--

- ALL: "Trash, trash, trash."

- What you trying to do, Uncle Curtis?

- I'm elevating my people.

A little constructive feedback makes all of us better.

- Uncle, this is not feedback. - Mm-mm.

- This is dragging. - [knock at door]

- ELLA: Open this door. Hey!

- Hey, baby. - Mm-hm.

Move!

Are you hiding from me? - Nah.

- What you mean, nah? You're not answering your phone.

- Oh, baby, my phone died. What's wrong?

- What's wrong? Curtis, you know what you did?

- What did you do? - What did I do?

- [chuckling] "This establishment

is trash, trash, trash." - You read my review?

C.J., I may have a career as a food critic.

- Curtis? - [chuckling]

- You see how fast she got that thang?

How many numbers on it? - Baby, no.

This place was catering our Women's Day program,

and they just canceled our entire order.

- Why would they do that? - Because of your review.

Why would you do this?

- What are you talking about, Ella?

Baby, you the one that said to explain my concerns,

and it'll make everybody better.

- [snickering] Curtis, I said with love.

You literally said,

"I hate everything about this barbecue crematorium."

- How did they even know who it was?

- Ah! Because he signed every review,

"Curtis The Sauce Boss Payne... Wipe Me Down."

- Wipe me down?

You starting a barbecue restaurant or a carwash?

- Curtis, this is all your fault--all your fault.

So, you are now the new caterer

for the Women's Day program.

Now, let's just see how you run your black business.

- How many people we talking about, baby?

- Seventy-five, Curtis. - Dang.

- Tomorrow at three. - Seventy-five people?

- ELLA: Tomorrow at three! - CURTIS: Seventy-five people.

My business hasn't even officially opened yet, Ella!

- ♪

- Ah, there it is. - Hey, Mrs. Payne.

- Hi, baby.

- Did you get everything straightened out

with the caterer?

- Oh, the so-called caterer is straightened all the way out,

he may never be crooked again. - Oh.

- Okay. Well, that's good then.

Oh, we ordered an extra salad if you're hungry.

- Oh, thank you, but no thank you,

I have a thousand things to do. - Oh okay.

- Thank you. - MALIK: It's alright.

- You wanna bless the food, Malik?

- You know I'm taking a break from praying,

you remember that. - Mm-hm.

- Go, stay, go, stay.

Okay, Malik, what do you mean you taking a break from praying?

- Oh. [chuckling]

Well, one of my philosophy classes

is on God, Faith and Reason, and, you know,

it's actually raising some pretty interesting questions.

- Questions like what? I got all of your answers, go.

- Okay, well, how did evil enter the world?

- Ezekiel 28. - E--Ezekiel?

I thought his name was Satan.

- How can humans have free will

and God be sovereign at the same time?

How do we compare religions and perspectives

to figure out which one is the truth?

- Oh, Malik, where--

Who--who was your vacation bible school teacher?

- [chuckling] You were, you know that.

- How did I fail you? How did I fail you?

- You didn't fail me. You're actually the reason why

I'm even thinking about this stuff.

- So, I am the reason why you're questioning God?

- Auntie Ella, I'm not questioning God,

I'm just looking for a deeper meaning of belief and faith.

- Yeah, I believe in the Easter Bunny and Santa.

- Eat your food, baby, eat your food.

- I mean, I know you can't see them,

but I do believe if you have faith in them,

and you're a good person and you do right,

then you'll get blessings and gifts,

and somebody will make it rain on you.

- There you go.

- Thank you very much, Reverend Shirley Caesar salad.

[chuckling] But, baby-- - But that's actually faith,

just stripped down. - ELLA: Malik.

- No pun intended, baby.

- It's okay, baby, I don't dance to Big Pun anyway.

- But, you see how Lisa was able to explain faith

with no Bible, no sermon, no church.

- Malik, it's based upon the Word.

- I know, Auntie Ella, I know, believe me.

You've taught me that my whole life.

- Okay.

- I'm just saying that I'm questioning everything,

and until I get the answers that I want,

I'm gonna take a little break from religion...

philosophically speaking. - [grunting]

- MALIK: Oh, what you--

- No, no, no, don't jump-- don't jump now. [chuckling]

Go and help your Daddy and help Floyd.

- Why?

- Because I am going to take a break from some foolishness...

realistically speaking. - Alright, yes, ma'am.

- Eat your food, baby.

- Wait, is anybody gonna bless the food?

I mean, my baby is hangry.

- ♪

- Alright, Unc, we got all your stuff.

- Cool, cool, cool, cool. - There you go, bruh.

- Cool! Got brisket! Got brisket!

Where's the other briskets? - Hmm?

- The other briskets? - The other briskets?

- You got one brisket for 75 people?

- The list said brisket, not briskets.

- [scoffing] Oh, my goodness.

What am I suppose to do with one brisket, C.J.?

Come on, man. - Slice that thing in half

like it was two trout and five loaves of bread.

- Oh, you got jokes.

You got Biblical jokes now, huh? Call Calvin for me,

and tell him to pick up two more briskets

and eight slabs of ribs on his way, please?

- Hey, pops, I got your plates and your utensils in the car.

Man, that food was good. - Look--what are you eating?

- Uh, deep-fried barbecue crab legs.

I finished them in the driveway.

Why don't I smell the grill?

- That's because C.J. is trying to ruin my business

before it even starts. - All I did was follow the list.

- All you did was sabotage me.

It's what you doing 'cuz you always--

you never liked my brand. You thought I didn't know it?

Both of you been hating on my Wipe Me Down!

- [scoffing] You might want another name.

- Yeah, it is trash.

- Well, see, see, you want me to fail.

After everything I've done for both of you.

- Pops, where's your inventory, we'll run out and get it?

- Inventory? - And your menu,

just in case there's anything else we need to get.

- Menu for?

- For the event. What are you serving?

- Barbecue!

- Yeah, but what about your sides

and your drinks and your desserts?

- Yeah, we'll have all of that, we'll pick it up on the way.

- No, you got to have all of that ready when you show up.

- Um, look, this is like a family reunion, okay?

Somebody bring ice, somebody bring drinks,

when the food get there, everybody eat.

And then we all leave when Uncle Butch pass out.

- Pops, this isn't a reunion, this a catered event,

people are gonna expect a certain level of service.

- Look, I ain't never done this before, okay?

This ain't--I'm new.

I ain't never catered nobody before.

- Okay, well, maybe you're not ready to run a business.

- Unc, just, uh, out of curiosity,

have you drawn up a business plan, yet?

- Yeah, I got a plan.

I plan on being the best barbecue business

in all of Atlanta, you heard! - [laughing]

- Well, out the gate, you might be the worst.

- An hour per pound, okay. An hour per pound, and you got--

- What's up, Uncle Curtis? - I'm tryna calculate my time.

- You ain't started yet? - I'm good.

How do you carry the one on a calculator?

Yeah, we--14, I was right, just 14, 14 hours.

- [laughing]

Are you sure that's enough time?

- If we get the stuff on C.J.'s grill in the next hour,

we might make it. - What can we do?

- Thank you.

Reach in there and grab the briskets,

trim about one quarter inch off the fat,

and separate the flats from the point for me.

- Um, no, we don't know how to do that.

- You're useless.

- [cell phone dinging] - Okay, I got--

- Oh wait, my dad just texted me.

He said the store is closed,

and the 24-hour grocery store doesn't have what you want.

Crying emoji, crying emoji, crying emoji, crying--

- Yeah, I get it, I get it. - I can make one call,

and get this party popping, Curtis.

- Please, Lisa, this is a church event, okay,

we don't need you lap dancing for the Lord.

- Come on, now, you don't have any food,

and in less than 24 hours, you got to deliver,

or the Sauce Bosses are done. - That's why you need me.

Have some faith in your girl. What does the Bible say?

If you believe in the size of mustard greens,

you can buy a mountain. A mountain!

- That's exactly what it say. - I know.

- I like her.

- ♪

- He said he coming back next year? Yes, again?

I love it.

Yes, okay, well, I had a great team.

- Here the rest of the leftovers, baby.

- Okay, alright, yeah. He just walked in.

Love ya, okay, thank you, bye-bye. Yes!

Curtis, yes, we did it, baby, we did it, we did it.

Come on, baby, it's okay. Don't feel bad, baby, you tried.

- This was my chance to show what I could do, man,

and I failed.

- Curtis, it happens, it happens, it's okay.

Uh, but did ya girl, Lisa, do her thing, though?

- Hey. - Eh, hey, eh!

- I need to add party planner to my resume.

- How did you get Gladys and Roscoe's

to cater at the last minute like that?

- I told you Daysia my girl.

All I had to do was make one call

and tell her Uncle Curtis,

he just like to do food reviews when he get faded,

and he didn't mean nothing by it.

- That was smart.

And the food was actually pretty good.

- Yes, it was.

- It was like it was a whole different restaurant.

- It be like that sometimes.

I mean, some nights, I would have trash performances on stage

because I'd rather be somewhere else reading a book.

Other nights, I would have great nights.

But you keep hustling until you get it right.

- Yeah, well, you are wise beyond your years.

- Yeah, this family really put me on game.

Real talk, man, Malik opening up my mind

to a new way of thinking. - Thank you, baby.

Oh, you mean-- - Thank you.

- With that philosophy nonsense?

- Yeah, but you being the matriarch, too,

is teaching me a lot about faith and this baby.

I mean, he can't see me right now,

and I can't see him,

but I believe if I keep taking care of him,

he's gonna come out and love me

the way that I love him, unconditionally.

- Aw, Lisa, that is so beautiful.

- So, wait a minute,

did I hear you say you're having a baby boy?

- I-- - Wait a minute,

is that what you got out of what she just said?

- You know what,

another Payne man to carry on the legacy, you heard me.

- But what legacy, baby?

You couldn't even cater for 75 people.

- Well, you just gon' throw that in my face, huh?

- God is good, God is great,

sorry I'm eating crab legs too late.

- These and other blessings we pray in Your Son's name.

- BOTH: Amen.

- I thought you was taking a break?

- Oh well, break time is over.

- Why, what made you change your mind?

- It's actually because of you.

You have such a strong faith in things hoped for, yet unseen.

- Okay, that sound like the Bible, but I don't know.

- [laughing] Yes, it is, it is.

You know, for some reason we found each other,

we created a human,

and now we're about to start a life together.

- Okay, that sound like a proposal?

[laughing] - No.

- But, I'm not sure. - It's not, it's not.

Not yet. Go ahead, eat.

- Okay.

- Okay, how about this one?

Curtis Q. Payne, Come Get This Smoke...

Incorporated, you heard me?

- Mm, it was too long. - Yeah, it's kinda long.

- What was the name of your first pet

and the street you lived on as a kid?

- That be, Smoke Trail.

Smoke Trail Spot. Smoke Trail Spot?

- That's it!

- Smoke Trail Spot. - That's it!

- I like that! - I like that!

- I like that, that's good.

You know what, girl, you are good.

- So, I can, um, be part owner? - You're not that good.

You aggressive, ain't you?

- Worth a try. - I like your style.

- ♪

- ♪

- ♪

- ♪